This invention relates to a plastic injector device which may be loaded, cocked and fired with ease. The injector may be readily applied to any part of the user's body to obtain an accurate injection site. The device may also be readily modified to obtain blood samples, and functions in the same mode as the injector.
Many patents disclose the use of hypodermic injector devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,708 by Pavel Jordan, to the assignee, herein. The '708 patent is a highly durable device constructed of stainless steel and is quite effective. However, like many similar devices manufactured of metal components, it is expensive, and if lost or stolen or misplaced, would represent an inconvenient financial loss to the owner.
By comparison, an injector constructed of plastic components is far less expensive, and this is of particular importance to many persons. In addition, an injector device is desired in which the amount of liquid in the syringe barrel can be easily ascertained. Frequently, individuals who use injector devices, particularly diabetics, cannot see the syringe scale too well. Consequently, in the case of a plastic injector, it would be very helpful to provide a magnifier of some type to enlarge the scale portion of the syringe. However, in the case of a metal injector, this is difficult and usually requires some type of significant design feature which tends to be expensive.
In many instances, diabetics do not use a specific amount of insulin at given times, but instead employ blood tests in conjunction with a kit to determine their blood sugar content, and hence their insulin dosage. This of course necessitates pricking the skin to obtain a small blood sample. It would be both convenient and less expensive if the same device which was used as an injector could also be used, albeit with some modifications, for obtaining a blood sample.